A 25-year-old Ukrainian television reporter was arrested for allegedly attacking actor Brad Pitt on the red carpet tonight at the premiere of his partner Angelina Jolie’s movie Maleficent.
Pitt was not injured in the attack, which occurred outside the El Capitan Theatre in the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles Police Dept. (LAPD) Officer Nuria Vinegas said.
According to the entertainment news website TMZ, Vitalii Sediuk was able to make contact with Pitt’s face before being nabbed by police.
Sediuk was arrested for suspicion of misdemeanor battery with bail set at $20,000, according to booking records.
Sediuk, a reporter for the Ukrainian 1+1 television channel, was charged with leaving a spectator area and entering a performance area, and interfering with and delaying program participants after he took over the stage at the 2013 Grammys, according to entertainment trade publication The Hollywood Reporter.
Sediuk’s lawyer, Anthony Willoughby, told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2013 that his client had pleaded no contest to the charges, and that judgement had been deferred.
“If he stays clean for three years, he’ll be able to withdraw his plea and the charges will be dismissed,” Willoughby said.
Sediuk had also crashed other movie red carpet events, according to news reports.